It is desirable in fishing boats to have seats with backs to provide support to fishermen when they fish for an extended period of time. In relatively small fishing boats it is particularly advantageous to have seats which can be elevated so that fishermen can extend their legs rather than be seated low and be crowded to the floor of the boat. Elevated seats also provide better clearance over the sides of the boat and associated motors during fishing. Elevated seating further provides greater visibility.
It is undesirable to have elevated seating in relatively small fishing boats when running the boat at speeds above trolling speed, such as when going to and from fishing areas. Use of permanently elevated seating raises the overall center of gravity of the boat and makes it less stable. In addition, if seats with backs are mounted too close to the motor or other portions of the running gear of the boat, they may interfere with the proper operation thereof, particularly during relatively high speed operation. Permanent elevated seating may also obstruct easy loading and handling of small boats, such as when carried on top of a pickup or automobile.
It is accordingly desirable to have a fishing boat seat which can be in a relatively low configuration during launching and higher speed operation, and which can be moved to a relatively elevated position for fishing. It is also desirable to have such a fishing boat seat which can be displaced laterally to provide better access to the motor when being operated at higher speeds, and which can be more centrally located for use during fishing. These and other objectives and attributes of the invention will be described more fully hereinafter.
The prior art includes a fishing boat seat described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,839,757 to Grimes. In the Grimes patent the fishing seat support frame pivots upon four parallel links from an extended position to a retracted position. In the retracted position the seat is supported by a storage cabinet mounted in the boat.
An example of a chair having an adjustable seat is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,147,040 to Easterbrook. The Easterbrook patent discloses a folding frame requiring manipulation of various parts in order to adjust the chair from one height to another.
A further type of collapsible seat is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,521,265 to Starr. The Starr patent shows a relatively complex scissors action folding framework which allows only vertical motion of the seat.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,821,825 to Bailey discloses a further fishing seat structure which is adapted for adjustable positioning upon a transverse boat seat or thwart.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,789,444 to McCord shows a boat seat holder assembly which is designed to detachably and frictionally engage a boat thwart without requiring bolts or other mounting fasteners to be extended into the boat seat or other parts of the boat.